Worthington wins battle for Kane

Russell Kempson in Dublin

Thursday September 06 2007, 1.00am, The Times

Russell Kempson in Dublin

Thursday September 06 2007, 1.00am, The Times

Tony Kane, the Blackburn Rovers defender who looked certain to choose to play for Ireland at international level, has committed to Northern Ireland. Kane said that an administrative mistake by the Irish Football Association (IFA), the governing body of Northern Ireland, led him to seek his international future south of the border.

The 20-year-old, who holds an Irish passport but was born in Belfast, was picked for the Northern Ireland Under21 squad last year but had to drop out because the IFA has not registered him to play. “I thought that was an absolute joke and I was left wondering if they really wanted me to play for Northern Ireland,” Kane said. “When I was offered the chance to play for the Republic it felt